


- Breaking Standards and Expectations -

by Dark_Amythest



Series: Are Imposters Really The Bad Guys? [1]
Category: Among Us (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Among Us (Video Game) Setting, Based on an Among Us Game, Brown Sus, Coming Out, Gen, Genderfluid Character, Homestuck terms, Murder, Murder Mystery, Nonbinary Character, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pink Sus, Selectively Mute Black (Among Us), Selectively Mute Silver (Among Us), Tags Are Hard, Tags May Change, Trans Characters, Yes I made up colors for the suits, but the crewmates are oblivious, ik the imps are obvious, please be my friend, red if you see this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-21
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-12 12:22:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28885317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dark_Amythest/pseuds/Dark_Amythest
Summary: We all hear stories about the feared parasite, known by humans as Imposters.  Invading and infiltrating MIRA supplied ships, killing off entire crews with ease.  There are rarely survivors from either party.  But what if a friendship, or maybe more, is forged?  One between a skilled Imposter and a seemingly passive Crewmate?  But what will happen when crewmates start dying...?-----Now, Among Us is a great game, and this is based on a friendship that I made while playing a series of games with the same group.  This'll be book one in a series of many oneshots and stories, and if this does well enough, I'll edit the story I've been working on since 2018! This book actually ties to the 2018 one mentioned above, which you'll see later on in the series.  Well, here we go!
Relationships: Cyan & Yellow (Among Us), Green & Blue (Among Us), Lime & Orange (Among Us), Pink & Brown (Among Us), Red & Black (Among Us), Silver & Silver (Among Us)
Series: Are Imposters Really The Bad Guys? [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2118339
Comments: 10
Kudos: 16





	1. First Day

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Just a quick key: scentences that have --this-- are telepathically spoken words. Scentences that have _this_ are typed on a tablet. I'm still trying to figure out formatting on AO3 (used to other sites) so please forgive any mistakes! Enjoy!

"Hello everyone, welcome to the SKELD. I assume all of you know why we're here?" Green asks the crew, all of whom are sitting at the main table in the Cafeteria. Everyone nods. "Good. Today, there will not be any tasks. You will use today to get an idea of the layout of the ship, tasks will start tomorrow. Any questions?"

"Yes, ma'am. Can we do a buddy system?" Cyan asks, seeming excited. The captain nods.

"You may. While there are no Imps on board, a buddy system will be beneficial to all of us. Everyone, choose a partner and start looking around."

The captain walks to Blue, who nods and they walk off. Cyan grabs Yellow by the arm of their suit and drags them off. Soon, the only two left are Black and Red. Red looks to the other, who seems to be fidgeting with their gloves.

"I guess we're paired up, then," Red says, watching the other's reaction. They shrug and nod before standing up and looking at the three hallways. Red pats them on the arm, not missing the way they flinch back.

' _Hm...skittish. I don't know if that's a good or bad thing…_ ' They muse to themselves. The two start walking around the ship, looking around every room and memorizing the layout. When they're in electrical, Black starts fidgeting more, causing Red to let out an annoyed sigh.

"Will you stop moving? It's kind of annoying," they ask the other, causing them to tense and go completely still. If the two hadn't been the only two in the room, Red thinks they might have missed what Black whispers.

"Sorry."

Red looks at them and tilts their head in confusion. Was the smaller one scared of them?

"It's fine. Do you not like talking?"

Black shakes their head, making Red roll their eyes behind their visor. Of course, they'd be stuck with the shy crewmate.

"Then use the notes thing on your tablet to type out what you want to say. Are you scared?" Red asks, and Black opens the notes to quickly type out their reply.

_ _ **No. Anxious. I don't like electrical.**_ _

"Any reason why?"

_ _ **I saw someone get killed in here last mission, and saw three dead bodies on the one before last. Other reasons, too, but I'm not saying yet. I don't know you well enough**_._

"Reasonable. What about your constant moving? Any reason for that?" Red is curious if there's an actual reason for the smaller incessant movement. Black nods and types out another reply.

_ _ **I'm neurodivergent. ADHD and anxiety. I do it without noticing most times. Sorry if it annoys you, but HQ wouldn't let me bring anything to help me with it.**_ _

Red nods slowly. Okay, that makes some sense. They've heard of that before. However, in their mind, Terrans are still odd creatures.

"Do you need something to fidget with? Because there's a ton of zip ties here that I can use to make you a fidget toy," Red offers, causing Black to look up, a look of surprise behind their visor. They nod quickly, causing Red to chuckle.

The two sit on the floor of electrical and start picking up multicolored plastic ties and stringing them together. While doing this, Cyan and Yellow walk in.

"Oh! Red! I didn't realize you were in here. Oh, hi, Black! You two teamed up?" Cyan asks, tilting their head inside their helmet. Black is silent and staring at the plastic ties in their hands, watching the duo out of the corner of their eye behind their visor, wary. Red nods.

"Yep. Hey, let's introduce ourselves. I'm Maldwyn," Red says. Yellow laughs at their little intro before speaking themselves.

"I know your name, Wyn, though these two probably didn't. I'm Natalie," Yellow says, smiling behind her visor. Cyan speaks next.

"I'm Calista! What's your name, Black?" She asks, looking at the still member. They grab their tablet and type out their introduction.

_ ** _Shadow. You can call me Shad, though_**._

"Cool! Nice to meet you, Shad! Are you mute? Sorry, that was probably rude to ask that way," Callie exclaims, backtracking when she realizes that it was probably a brash question. However, the darker suited person doesn't seem to mind and types down a response.

_ _ **It's fine. I'm a selective mute**_._

"Oh...any reason why?" Nat asks, and Black once again responds.

_ _ **A few, but since I don't know you, you're not privy to that information**_._

"Oh, okay. Understandable...Callie, let's keep exploring. Maybe we'll find the kitchen!" Yellow says to the other bright color, and though her helmet is pointed at Cyan, Black can feel her gaze lingering on them.

"Yeah! Bye Wyn, bye Shad! See you later!"

The two bright colors walk out of the room and Shad relaxes, picking at their gloves. Red gets back to stringing the zip ties together while Black types away at the tablet before sliding it over to the other, who reads it immediately.

_ _ **We should call those two team highlighters. Their colors are comparable to them...**_ _ Shad had typed. Wyn looks up, sliding it back with a small grin hidden by their helmet.

"Yeah, good point. What else do you have to say? You have an ellipse at the end," they point out. Shad seems hesitant but types the rest out and hands the tablet back to Wyn.

_ _ **It's Yellow. I think they might be an Imposter. Their body language isn't seen on the ships, other than with the higher-ups and those with big egos. She didn't seem like either though, so...it's just a theory, and I'm not trying to scare you. It's just that it's weird**_._

Wyn holds their breath for a moment, taking in what Shad just said. How did they catch on to it so easily? Yellow is a younger Imp, less experienced, so it would make sense that she's cocky. But the fact that this Terran had picked up on it so easily is a little worrying. Would Shad find out about them too?

"Huh...yeah, I guess. But this is one of Yellow's first missions, it's only her second. Last mission we didn't have anything bad happen, no Imps, so she's probably just in that indestructible mindset of a newbie," Wyn explains, and Shad nods in understanding, going silent. Red finishes the fidget toy and gives it to Black, who gives them a small nod of thanks. The darker color also has a small smile playing on their lips, hidden by the helmet visor.

Red stands up and holds out their hand to help Shad up, and they take it, cautiously. The two walk out of electrical and continue exploring the ship. When they're in shields, Shad tugs on Wyn's arm to catch their attention while passing the tablet to them.

_ _ **When you have to do one of the tasks here, you can stand near the railing and do it, otherwise, they probably won't find your body for a while.**_ _

Red nods and hands the tablet back. The crewmate seems jumpy, but they're definitely smart. This isn't their first mission, and it shows.

"How many missions have you been on before this?" Wyn asks as they walk around. Shad holds up five fingers but keeps three fingers separate from the other two. Wyn nods in understanding. "You were a mini-crewmate. That makes sense."

Before either could say anything else, the PSA system buzzes with the alert of a meeting, and they walk back to Cafeteria, looking at the others. Why was the meeting called? Surely no one has died yet, right? It's only the first day! But when exactly has that stopped imposters before?

"So, now that you've all had ample time to explore, it's time to eat, and then we're going to claim our rooms," Green explains, and everyone nods, the minor tension felt dissipating as they all walk off and grab food. Black stays close to Red. Despite not knowing each other well, Black feels like they can trust Red.

As everyone sits, they take off their helms to make eating easier. After sitting, Red takes off their helmet and places it on the bench next to them. Black studies the other's face for a moment.

They have golden-toned skin with accented cheekbones and freckles. Their eyes are an almost glowing amber color, and their short hair is ginger. They look at Black with a small smile and the smaller takes off their own helmet.

Red studies the shy crewmate. Their dark hair is short and fluffy, bangs covering one eye. The visible one is silver, and darting around nervously. Their skin is pale, and freckles are scattered across their cheeks and nose.

In short, both think that the other is attractive.

After studying each other, the two eat in silence, minding their business until shouting comes from the other side of the Cafeteria.

"Hey, brat, get your own food! Leave us alone!" Brown shouts. Two children in silver suits are standing near the angered crewmate, the smaller cowering behind the first.

"What's going on?" Red calls and Brown looks at them, eyes narrowed. He's definitely angry.

"One of these orphaned brats was trying to take my food instead of getting their own!" Brown exclaims. Once again, the smaller silver flinches back. Black gets up and walks over, Red following them. The two stand between Brown and the children.

"Hey, you two, there's some food at the table Black and I was sitting at. Go eat," Red says, and the two kids run over to it. Brown glares at Red.

"The hell you doing, defending two brats? They're orphans, you can see by their suits. But they should know better than to try and take my damned food."

"You should have explained to them nicely instead of shouting at them. You could see that the smaller was scared of you raising your voice," Red says, still calm. The taller kid speaks from the table, helmet off.

"If you yell at Comet again, I'm going to kick your knees hard enough to invert them," he hisses to Brown, who decidedly stays silent. The smaller one, Comet, is staring intently at the table.

Red glares at Brown again before Black leads them back to the table, sitting across from the kids. Red and the taller kid stare at each other, each knowing exactly what the other is. Black slides the tablet over to the talker, who looks at it before responding.

"Dunno about our dad, our mom was killed on a mission seven years ago. Comet watched it happen," the kid explains. Black winces sympathetically and pulls the tablet back.

"That sucks. Anything we can call you, kid? I know that your sister's name is Comet, but what about you?" Wyn asks, and the taller frowns for a moment before answering.

"Staxx."

"Nice to meet ya, kid. Both of you. If you want, you can stick with me or Black for now, until we dock at Polus," Red offers. They could tell what the younger two were, and was stunned to see that the children haven't gotten killed yet. Staxx frowns, thinking about it while he chews, then shrugs.

"I guess we could. No one normally notices us, so we just stay out of the way. At least, until things go to shit and we have to transfer crew," he says. Red nods thoughtfully.

"Well, we'll look after you. We're all supposed to be sleeping in the cafeteria tonight, kind of a right of passage, then tomorrow we're going to be sleeping in our own compartments."

The older kid hums and continues eating, the younger doing the same. Red finally looks at Black, who has an unamused look on their face. They hold out their tablet and Red reads it.

_ _ **So I barely know you and we're going to be co-parenting two orphans now? They ask, to which Red only nods. Staxx caught the interaction and seems curious**_._

"Black, why are you using your tablet?" He asks, leaning over the table to look. Black types out their answer and holds it out for the kid to read.

 _ **_Selectively mute, I use my tablet to communicate because not many people understand sign language, they explain, and a grin appears on Staxx's face.**_ _

"That's so cool! Do you think you could teach me and Comet sign language? She's a selective mute too and doesn't really have any way to communicate with others. You don't have to! It's just that it would help us talk to each other," he explains, making Black laugh.

_ _ **Of course! I can't communicate with others often either, so I'll be glad to help with teaching you and your sister sign language.**_ _

Red smiles at the interaction. Shy as they might be, Shad has a big heart. Wyn can see that clear as day, even though it's only been a few hours since they've met.

Soon enough, dinner is over, and everyone scatters to get ready for bed. Laying down blankets, Wyn jumps when they hear Staxx's voice in their head.

\-- _You're one of us, an Imposter. Are there more of us aboard the ship? -_ \- The youngling asks, and Red smiles as they answer.

\-- _One more. I won't tell you who she is, but she's nice. Now get ready to sleep, tomorrow we need to act like crewmates_. --

The white-haired boy nods and lays down on the floor, and his younger sister lays next to him, one hand clasping his shirt tightly. Wyn chuckles and turns to see Shad standing there with some pillows.

They hold out said pillows and Wyn takes them, putting one at the head of his sleeping space, and giving another to the children, who push it under their heads and close their eyes again.

Shad lays down as well, pulling the blanket over themselves, and Wyn follows their example. The Captain calls out to the rest of the crew.

"Good night, everyone," she says, then the lights dim. Various versions of "good night" replies fill the air for a second before it goes silent except the hum of the ship.

Before long, everyone has dropped off into unconsciousness. All but one. Their bright eyes scan over the prone forms, taking in their sizes, before laying down and staring at the ceiling.

_Perhaps a meal will be in order soon..._


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One Imp is found out, doors shut, and Wyn has a small slip up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I figured out how to use AO3's writing system thingy, so I hope it's easier to read now!

Shad looks up from their tablet as someone approaches them, footsteps echoing on the metal flooring of the ship. It's Red, followed by the two silvers. They're scurrying after them like lost puppies. 

"Shad, what tasks do you have? I have to do shields, trash, and samples," Wyn says, waving their tablet. Instead of typing out a response, Shad just holds out their tablet to show the other 'crewmate'. Wyn reads the tasks and nods. 

"Well, yours are closer, so do you think we should do yours first?" 

Shad shrugs and takes their tablet back before pointing to Wyn and then pointing to the cafeteria trash disposal. Red nods and looks at the mini crewmates. 

"Who do you two want to follow?" Almost immediately Comet shyly walks over to Shad, while Staxx stays next to Wyn. Red grins behind his helmet. "Well, that's settled then. Let's get the cafe jobs done then get the others done too." 

Shad and Comet walk over to the datapad and start downloading the files from it, almost seeming to talk with each other without words, while Staxx and Wyn walk over to the trash and start disposing of it. 

\-- _So, are you going to kill Black? Or are you going to ignore her? _\-- Staxx questions through the telepathic connection Imposters have, making Wyn jump and look down at him, frowning behind the mask.

\-- _They, not she. And I'm not sure yet. They're interesting, I'll say that much. They're smart and want to avoid electrical as much as possible, and has encountered our kind before. _\-- Red says through the connection. The older Silver tilts his head. 

\-- _They? But...huh? Black is female, and they is plural?_ \-- The youngling sounds legitimately confused. Red pauses and thinks about how to explain it. The teenager didn't know about Terrans having multiple genders, or just didn't know much. 

\-- _Well, they don't see themselves as a boy or a girl. Kind of like me, I don't see myself as either. So, they. They can be singular. What do you call someone when you can't tell what they are by the sound of their voice? _\-- 

\-- _You use they...okay, I guess that makes sense. Terrans are weird, but I guess it makes sense._ \-- 

Red nods and waves slightly when Black and the younger Silver start walking over to them, Comet holding Shad's tablet in her small hands. 

"Ready to get the other tasks done?" Red asks, and Black nods. The four start walking around the ship getting tasks done. Black swipes their card and the scanner accepts it on the first try. While in Admin, they also upload the data to MIRA HQ's servers. After, Red leads the group to Sheilds to prime them before the group goes to Storage. Staxx stands by Wyn as they empty the trash while Comet helps Shad fill two gas cans with fuel for the engines. 

Red takes one from Black and they start walking toward the engines when the group hears the doors clang shut all around them, the noise echoing in the hall. The silvers back against a wall and look around nervously, instincts saying to guard their backs. 

\-- _Was that you?_ \-- Staxx asks Wyn, who answers slowly. 

\-- _No...it was probably a mistake on my partner's part or faulty wiring, _\-- they say. Red looks at Black and a questioning trill slips through their lips. The shorter's body language is screaming defensive, despite how subtle it is. Their gloved hands are picking at their sleeves, and their leg is bouncing as they stand. 

"How long will it take for them to get unlocked?" Staxx asks aloud in English. Shad jumps and relaxes slightly, but the tension is still there. Wyn shrugs. 

"Anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes." 

They barely pick up on the sarcastic word whispered from Shad, and notices that it's tinged with uncertainty. 

"Great." 

The group stays there for almost ten minutes, both Comet and Shadow becoming more fidgety as the minute's pass. The doors release and to Wyn's surprise, Shad stalks to Electrical, body language screaming hesitation and uncertainty, but also slightly defensive. What are they doing? 

"Black?" Staxx asks, also seeming confused by their behavior. They look over their shoulder and the three can almost see the face of ' _stay there_ ' through the visor. 

Red looks at the older silver who nods with no words exchanged, and steps toward Black. 

"If you're checking if someone's in there you're not going in alone," Red says, and Black doesn't give any responde other than a short hum before slowly walking into the room, fingers trailing on the wall. 

They turn the blind corner and look around, both of them relieved when they find nothing but the small plastic clippings from the crafting of Shad's fidget toy. The two exit and the silvers look up expectantly. 

"Any bodies or blood?" Staxx asks, and Wyn grins behind their visor. 

"Nope, thankfully nothing. I guess it was just a faulty trigger," they say. Comet shyly hands Shad their tablet, clearly picking up on some unspoken cue. Shad types out a few sentences and hands it to Wyn. 

**__They shouldn't be triggered at all unless it was sabotage or the oxygen runs out. On the off chance that it was a faulty trigger, we should bring it up with Green. But I don't want the security to go up...__** they type. The other three read it and nod. 

"Reasonable. If it happens again, we'll let the captain know. For now, let's get the fuel into the engines." 

Red picks up one of the gas cans and Black picks up the other, and the group walks to the lower engine. While Black fills the fuel tank, the other three stand guard. 

"You done?" Red asks as Black sets the can on the ground, and they give them a thumbs up. Red nods and the group walks up to Upper Engine, stopping shortly to peek into Security. They leave when Brown glares at them. 

After filling the second fuel tank, the group walks into Medbay. Yellow looks up from where she's standing on the scanner, nervous, and Cyan looks at them. 

"I think the scanner's broken," Cyan says, and Staxx tilts his head inside his helmet. 

"How is it broken?" 

"It won't scan Natalie." 

As soon as this is said, Black looks at the medbay door and back at Yellow. Black pulls out their tablet and types something on it, for once using text-to-speech. 

" _ **_Natalie, shut the doors. Everyone, take off your helmets. Please._"**_ They say, and while Yellow doesn't move other than taking off their helmet, the doors slide shut and the occupants of the room can hear them latch shut. Red and Black pull off their helmets next, Cyan and the two Silvers following their lead. Natalie looks even more nervous now. 

" _ **_Natalie, please tell us the truth when I ask you a question. I swear I won't try to eject you, and I'll keep the others from doing it too_**_ " Black offers, the tablet reading out the words. Natalie nods jerkily, while Callie is confused and worried. Wyn, Staxx, and Comet, though, are only watching. 

"Okay. What, um, what's your question?" Yellow asks, almost stumbling over her words. Black types out the question and lets the tablet read it aloud again. 

" ** __You're an Imposter, aren't you?__** " 

The room goes silent before Natalie nods, eyes closed as if expecting to be hit. 

"Yes. I am. I don't want to kill anyone though. Terrans, er, humans, sorry, are interesting. You're a young species compared to ours. We want to learn more about you," she explains. Black nods and then switches to sign language, getting tired of using their tablet. 

"Are you the only Imp on board?" 

"...No. I won't lie, because I don't want to get ejected." 

"Are you willing to say who it is, or who they are?" Natalie is silent at this question, weighing the options in her mind before shaking her head. 

"No. I'm sorry, but I won't put them in danger like that." 

Black sighs and nods, leaning against the wall, messing up their already messy hair with a gloved hand. Comet walks up to them and leans on them, hugging their waist. 

"So...are you going to report me?" Natalie asks softly, and Shad shakes their head, while Callie and Wyn say no at the same time. Nat relaxes and sits on the floor. "If you have any questions about Imposters, I'll answer them," she offers. 

"I only have one for now. Why do you kill?" Callie asks, crouching down next to Yellow. The blonde sighs. 

"A lot of us don't want to kill, but at the same time, we see it's justified. Your forces massacred our people and children. I'll only kill in self-defense. Others kill for fun. Sometimes we kill for food. We're carnivores. We get by well enough on the stuff you have on ships, but our bodies aren't made for processed foods," she explains softly. 

\-- _Wyn, I'm sorry. I got caught._ \-- Natalie says to her shipmate, who sighs. 

\-- _Not your fault. Shad had a feeling since they first interacted with you that you'd be an Imp. They won't go back on their word of not ejecting you, don't worry._ \-- they reassure, and Yellow nods. Cyan looks at her partner. 

"Nat, I'll teach you how to do the tasks if you want me to. This way you won't be ejected for not doing them," she offers, and Yellow looks at her in surprise. 

"Really? You'd teach me how to do tasks?" She asks in disbelief, making Callie giggle. 

"Of course! You're not going to kill me, or anyone else, so why not? Plus we became quick friends! I don't exactly want you to get ejected." 

"Well then, that settles it. We're not snitching and we're not ejecting anyone. Right?" Red asks, looking around and getting various confirmations from the ones in the room. Comet hesitantly signs something to Shadow, who smiles and nods. Black then turns and signs to Yellow and Cyan. 

"Do you two want to sit at our table later for mealtime? This way, if someone ever accuses either of you of being Sus, we can defend you. Plus I kinda want to be friends with Team Highlighter." 

Cyan bursts out laughing. "Team Highlighter? Is that what you've been calling us?" She asks, a huge grin on her face. Black shrugs with a sheepish smile and nods. Red answers. 

"Yep. Your colors are bright so we've been calling you the highlighters. I don't know if anyone else has, but it's what Shad came up with." 

The group continues talking, ignoring when the door opens until the ship Captain walks in with Blue. Then everyone snaps their gaze to her, attentive. 

"Captain, do you have a task here? We can leave-" Red starts saying, but Green holds up her hand and shakes her head. 

"No. The door was shut, are all of you alright?" She asks, looking over each of the crewmates. Black starts signing to Green, who watches until they're done. 

"The doors shut, but we were all in here so I doubt that anything would have happened. There are no Imps on board, remember? I'll ask the tech to see if there's faulty wiring," they say, keeping their face calm the entire time. Green sighs and nods. 

"Very well. Forgive me, I've been in the field for almost five years now. When doors shut, I get cautious and worried about my crew." 

"And that's understandable. We finished our tasks, Cap, so we were just chatting. Do you want us to go somewhere else? We can go to the cafeteria if you want-" 

"No, it's fine if you all stay in here. I just wanted to make sure you were all safe," Green says, looking around at each member of her crew. They nod and slowly start talking again, and Green and Blue leave. 

"That was close," Staxx says, leaning on the wall. Shadow nods in agreement from their position on the floor. Nat flops back on the bed. 

"What are we supposed to do when I get caught by the others?" She asks. Wyn is the first to respond. 

"If you get caught, not when. You have three other adult crewmates that can and will vouch for you, along with two kids. I highly doubt that they'll eject you," they say, and Nat frowns. 

"But what if we're outvoted? There are still five others that can vote against us!" 

"We won't let that happen, Natalie! You're a crewmate like us now!" Callista says, looking at the other bright color. Nat nods and doesn't protest anymore. 

As the group sits in Medbay, with hopeful minds, one glances at the others. They know Yellow isn't the only imposter in this crew thanks to her confirmation, but they do have suspicions about who the other - or others - is. All they have to do now is wait for the right time to find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed! The next chapter is where the action really kicks off! :) 
> 
> Forgive me if it takes me a while to update, I have school, as well as several other fics I'm working on across multiple sites.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Second Imp revealed. The first murder...who did it? Not enough info...skip voting. Let's help our favorite kid feel more like themself in the meantime.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I use Homestuck terms in this. I can't really think of what else to use for alien ages and yes, there is also a reference to the blood caste. 
> 
> Anyway, would you be interested in having visuals for the chapters? I can create an art book and add the appearances of the characters if any of you are interested!

It's been a month of smooth travel since Shadow confirmed their suspicions of Natalie being an Imposter. No murders have happened, thankfully, and Shadow suspects it's because Natalie has been eating the packaged meats in the freezer. From what she's said and from what they've observed, while Imps can eat processed foods, it isn't the greatest for them. 

Currently, the mostly silent crewmate is leaning against the wall of their bed-chamber with the younger Silver in their lap, half asleep as their thin fingers brush through their hair. A soft noise of content comes out of Comet's mouth, and Shadow smiles. The two have grown used to being near the other, silently communicating with ease in most situations. 

Wyn glances up from their spot on Shadow's bed, removing their attention from their tablet with a small smile. The kid had been so wary of anyone getting near her, and still dislikes contact from anyone but her brother and the two crewmates that look after the two silvers. Shadow glances up at Wyn and their eyes meet for a moment, causing Shadow to swiftly look away as their cheeks color rose. 

This causes Wyn to chuckle. They're not oblivious. They can even smell it on the shorter. Shadow is attracted to them, clear as day, no matter hard they try to shrug it off. Wyn's gaze lingers on the paler before trailing back to their tablet. Reviewing their notes on Terrans. 

Comet looks up at Shadow, who hums in curiosity. Their eyes meet and they have a quick conversation, though there's no sound. Shadow smiles and gently pats the kid's shoulder. 

"Okay, kiddo. Find your brother, or go see if Team Highlighter needs help, okay? I'll find you after I talk with Wyn, hm?" They say, voice soft. Comet nods and gets up, quickly pats Shadow on the head, and hurries out of the room. Shadow stands up, and Wyn follows their example, curious about what this was about. 

Instead of starting to speak, Wyn watches as Shadow walks to the door and pushes it shut, and both hear the latch click. Okay...maybe they should be worried? Shadow's started to become more comfortable around them even though they're mostly silent around the rest of the crew, but this behavior is different for them. 

"Shad? What, um, what do you want to talk to me about?" Wyn asks, slowly backing up as Shadow approaches them, silver eyes watching their face intently. Predatory, almost, but not quite there. More like intrusive, staring into their soul and picking apart what makes them tick.

"I'm going to ask you a question, and you're going to answer honestly," they state in their soft tone, and Wyn feels a wave of dread wash over them. They know. They know, and they're questioning them. 

"O-okay." 

"I have quite a few reasons to believe that you're an Imposter, Maldwyn. I'm right, aren't I?" 

Wyn's eyes widen as they nod slowly, eyes not leaving the face of the shorter. Is this how Natalie felt when Shad confronted them a month ago? The Terran stops moving forward when Wyn's back hits the wall. Silver eyes widen as their head tilts, mouth falling open slightly as they stare at the taller. 

"Sh-shad?" Wyn gets out while barely managing to suppress the nervous trill trying to escape his second set of vocal cords. The smaller snaps out of whatever daze they were in and takes a step back, face flushing. 

"Sorry. It's just- your eyes are glowing and your lips are greyish," they state, studying the Imposter's face. Amber eyes that previously had an odd quality of almost glowing were now actually glowing and orange in color. The tips of their ears and nose, as well as their cheeks and lips, are dusted with blotchy grey. Their ears are also pointed, almost like one would expect a fae beings ears to be. 

"Oh. Oh! I'm sorry, I'll mask it, I just-" Wyn's nervous apologies are cut off as Shadow's lips quirk up into a small smile and they shyly reach their hand up to brush their gloved fingers against the Imposter's face. 

"No! It's okay! It looks cool...you're not human, so what are you?" They mutter. Wyn, still stuck in the repeating mindset of "holy shit, holy shit, holy shit," manages to register the question and the lack of fear in the voice of the other. 

"I, uh, can I sit down before I tell you? I feel cornered right now," they say, and Shadow immediately steps back, their hand retreating as they nod. Not wasting a second, Wyn picks up Shad from under the armpits and set the both of them on the bed. Shadow crosses their legs and looks at them expectantly. 

"I think the term for what we are is mimics. We can shapeshift to whatever we want or need to, within reason. We're...not a parasite, like your HQ says. I mean, we can turn a Terran, er, human, into one of us. We use a type of venom to do that. I think that's the right word?" They explain, and Shadow nods slowly, seeming fascinated before their face breaks into a grin. 

"That's so cool! I've noticed you purring and trilling before, and you have a habit of clicking your teeth together when you're annoyed with something. What does your natural form look like?" They ask. Still no fear in their scent or voice. Wyn blinks before nodding and letting their Terran disguise fade away. They stay silent as Shadow studies their face, eyes shining with curiosity. 

Maldwyn's face was now a soft grey, their freckles now orange and more visible. Their eyes have no discernable iris, sclera or pupil, and fade in a gradient of a solid orange to an off-white from the middle of their eyes to the edges. Their mouth had disappeared along with their nose, earning a curious hum from the Terran. 

"What about your mouth? You said you use venom to turn a human into an Imposter, do you have fangs?" Shadow asks as they scoot a little closer. Grey face tinting orange, Wyn opens their mouth. It appears seemingly from nowhere, almost seeming to rip through their flesh, but Shadow guesses that it's merely disguised, much like their nose. Wyn keeps still as Shadow curiously and cautiously traces a gloved finger over the sharp teeth. 

After a moment, they pull away and giggle. Wyn tilts their head in confusion. 

"You're adorable!" 

"H-hey, no I'm not! I'm a predatory mimic, I'm not cute!" Wyn whines, mouth disappearing as their eyes narrow and ears droop. 

"You are! Terrans find dangerous things cute all the time, this is no different!" Shadow explains, still giggling. Wyn blinks before masking their real form in favor of the human disguise, a smirk appearing on their lips. 

Before Wyn can comment about what Shadow said, the emergency meeting buzz screeches in the PSA speakers, making both of them jump. They look at each other, all thoughts of banter gone, and rush to latch on their helmets, leaving the visors up as they unlock the door and dash out of the room, boots clanging on the metal flooring as they make their way to the cafe. They reach the table and look around at everyone else running in, noticing that Lime is by herself. 

"What's the cause for this meeting?" Green asks, looking around. Lime shakes her head, holding back a whimper. 

"Orange, he, he's dead! He said that he was just going to swipe his card while I filled up a gas can, and when it took more than a minute, I went to look for him and found him bent over the table! His head was backward!" She exclaims. The crew collectively reacts at the words, looking warily at everyone. Green sighs. 

"Does anyone know who could have been in admin with Orange?" She asks, eyes scanning over the expressions of each of her crew members. Pink tilts her head, gold eyes narrowing as she looks toward Lime. 

"It could have been a self-report. No one else was down there. I say we vote off Lime to be safe," she says cooly and Black glares at her. No proof and people are already pointing fingers. It always happens. Before their captain can speak, Red does, leaning forward and placing his hands on the table. 

"No. We're not voting anyone off yet. There's no point in condemning an innocent to a torturous death in the vacuum of space," he growls, and Black thinks they're the only one to notice the faint echo to his words, but a glance at Yellow and her worried expression tells them otherwise. Pink tilts her head and hones her gaze on Red. 

"That's sus, Red. Why are you jumping to her defense so quickly? Is there something you're hiding? Are you the one that killed Orange?" She asks, shifting the attention to the other color. His lips twitch back into a sneer and they're about to fire back a snarky response when he feels Black's arm brush theirs, and they calm themselves before replying. 

"No. I wasn't the one to kill Orange, nor was I even in that area of the ship at that time. I've been with Black since noon in their bed-chamber," they say slowly, keeping their tone even. Pink's gaze flickers to Black, who stares back without hesitation, despite wanting to shy away from the aggressive look. 

"Black, is it true that you and Red were with each other at the time of the murder?" Green asks, and they nod. The captain looks at the rest of her crew. "Everyone else was with their partner, correct?" 

Numerous answers of agreement were made, and Green sighs. 

"We'll skip voting for now. There's far from substantial evidence against anyone. Pink, I don't want to hear you flinging accusations without proof again, understand me? Lime, you may join with Blue and me," the captain says. "Meeting dismissed." 

Almost instantly, everyone starts scattering. Two groups look at each other before nodding and walking as one to Black's bed-chamber. As soon as they're all inside, Black slides the door shut and clicks the latch to lock it. Pulling Their helmet off, they look at Yellow. 

"Natalie, did you kill Orange?" Shadow questions and the imposter shakes her head. 

"No! I was doing tasks with Callie when the meeting was called. She has to finish a scan and I have to submit samples!" Nat exclaims, nervous. Shad leans against the wall and nods. 

"I believe you. Hey, um, if, if you need to, you can drop your disguise. The door is locked, there are no cams, and I doubt that anyone here is going to rat you out," Shadow offers, voice dropping to a nervous whisper, but Natalie sighs and lets the light skin tone fade to grey. She looks at her crewmate, and a soft chirp echoes through the room. 

"Woah, that's what you look? You look so cool!" Callista exclaims, and Shadow notices that both the Imposters shy away from the noise much like they do. They stay silent, but the shy crewmate guesses that the two Imps likely have stronger hearing than humans do. 

Studying Natalie, Shadow realizes that her eyes are more of a soft grey with dark pupils. Her freckles are also dark grey instead of a color. They tilt their head in curiosity. 

"Uh, sorry if this is, is a weird question, but why don't your eyes have any color, Nat? Or your Freckles?" Shadow asks, and both of the Imposters look at them. 

"Um," Natalie glances at Wyn, and they chuckle. 

"Shad knows, Nat, don't worry. I can explain if you don't want to," they offer. Nat shrugs. 

"I'll explain." She turns back to Shadow. "My eyes and freckles don't have any color yet because I'm not a mature Imp. I'm an adult in Terran terms, being more than eighteen years in your way of telling time, but by ours, I'm still an adolescent. I'm twenty-one by your ages, but I'm ten sweeps in ours. We don't reach adulthood until we're eleven and a half sweeps old, or twenty-five by your terms." 

"Huh...okay. Wyn, how old are you?" Shadow turns to them, and they pause, likely doing the conversion in their head. 

"Twelve and a half sweeps, or twenty-seven years old in your terms." 

"Shadow, how old are you?" Callie asks from the bed, and Shadow turns to her in surprise. "I mean, I'm twenty-two. How old are you?" 

"Uh, twenty-three? If I've managed to keep track of the years correctly, I'm twenty-three," Shad says. Callie grins. 

"You're older than me, cool. Hey, Nat, Wyn, how old would we be in sweeps?" She asks the Imps, who go silent for several minutes. 

"Shad's 10.62 sweeps, Callie's 10.15 sweeps," Nat says, looking at Wyn for confirmation, and they nod. 

"Huh. That's cool!" Callie says before laying back in Nat's lap. The four sit in silence for a few minutes before Shadow looks at Team Highlighter. 

"We can guard you as you do your tasks, how about that?" They offer, and the two shrug before getting up. 

"Sure, let's go," Nat says, both her and Wyn masking their real appearances and walking out of the room, then wait for the two crewmates to follow them. As a single group, they walk to Medbay. The two humans warily look around and stick close to their Imposter friends while the Imposters look around with the intent to defend their two Terran crewmates from whoever killed Orange. 

They reach Medbay without incident and just as they promised, Black and Red stand guard over Yellow and Cyan as the two do their tasks. About halfway through the time spent in Medbay, the two children walk in, holding each other's hands. 

Comet's eyes immediately seek Shadows and they hold eye contact for a minute before Comet nods, lets go of Staxx's hand, and walks over to Shadow, hugging their waist. Shadow smiles softly and ruffles the smaller's hair. 

"Hey, we're done with our tasks! Should we hang out in here for a little longer or should we go to your room again?" Callie asks, and Shadow motions to the cots. They all sit down on their usual ones and Comet nuzzles into Shadow's side. 

"So...any ideas on who killed Orange?" Callie asks, trying to break the silence. Staxx frowns then glances at the door before speaking. 

"I...think it was Pink. She jumped to speak and blame really fast," he mutters, and Wyn nods. 

"I feel like she could be the one who did it too. However, if she ditched Brown, he'd be pissy about it. I don't have any real ideas on who did it, but I won't be surprised if it ends up being one of them," Wyn admits, and Shadow nods. Wyn looks over to them, and so do Callie and Nat. 

"Shad, you have really good situational awareness, and you're good at reading people. Who do you think it could be?" Cyan questions. Shad shrugs. 

"Pink and Brown seem likely. There aren't any more adult Imps on board, are there?" They sign in question, and Nat shakes her head. 

"No, no more of us on board." 

It's silent again for a few minutes before Staxx speaks again. 

"Hey, Shad?" 

"Hm?" 

"Off-topic from what we were just talking about, but...Since Com's non-verbal, she um, asked me to talk to you about it," he says, seeming hesitant with his words. Comet's eyes move from staring at the door to staring at the teenager. 

"Okay, tell me then. What is it?" 

"Uh...she told me a while ago that she doesn't feel like a girl. She also seems uncomfortable when people refer to her as a girl and as my sister...she wanted to know if she's too young to know if she could be nonbinary or a boy," he says, still seeming unsure of his words, and Shadow blinks in surprise. Huh. Not what they were expecting, but that's okay. They turn to the younger silver and rubs their shoulder. 

"Is that true? You don't feel like a girl?" They ask softly, and Comet nods, still hiding her face. Shadow smiles softly. "That's okay. I never felt like a girl either. Do you have an idea on who you think you might be?" 

Comet slowly points to Wyn, who chuckles at the shyness. 

"Another he/they, huh? That's okay, kiddo. You're not too young to know who you are," Wyn says. Callie speaks up from the other cot. 

"I can cut your hair shorter if you want, Comet! Before I left Earth, I got a lot of experience cutting everyone else's hair. We have to have scissors around here somewhere, right?" She says, and the youngest looks up, hopeful. Wyn points to one of the cabinets. 

"There are scissors in there, they're supposed to be used to cut off the suits if something really bad happens, but they should work to cut hair." 

As a team, the group gets Comet onto a chair and cutting his hair. As soon as it's a short, fluffy bob, Callie steps back and grins. 

"There! What do you think?" She asks as Staxx holds up a silver tray for Comet to look in. The youngest stares for a moment before jumping off the chair and hugging Callie tightly before stepping back and jumping up and down with a huge grin on his face. 

The adults in the group grin at how happy they made the youngest, who's bouncing around Medbay and frequently signing thank you to them. 

"What's going on in here?" 

The voice of the Captain makes everyone still and turn to the door. She doesn't seem upset, only curious. Wyn answers. 

"Well, we all kind of decided that Comet needed a new hair cut, and he agreed," he says, and Green takes a moment to process it before grinning. 

"Aw, okay. So long as y'all clean up the hair. You feeling more like yourself now, son?" She asks, and Comet smiles and nods. Green gives the group a nod before continuing on her walk down the hall. 

Staxx helps Shadow sweep up the hair and put it in a bag to dump into the trash chute. Once everything is cleaned up and put away, Comet clings to Shadow's waist once again, causing the taller to smile. 

"It's no problem, kiddo. I remember the feeling and I still experience it sometimes. I'm glad we could make you feel like you belong in your own body," they say, and they smile as Comet answers, though it's unheard by anyone other than Shadow. 

\-- _Thank you_ \-- 

The day started with cuddles, was interrupted by a murder, and ends with a found family feeling just that much closer with each other. 

And yet no one is prepared for the horrors that would await them the next day...but that's for next time.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brown's looking more and more Sus...and two somehow oblivious idiots (I use the term fondly) share a bed to take a nap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...I hope you enjoy the chapter! I disappeared for a little bit and I'll explain why exactly in the end notes. :)

Black glares at Pink from beneath their visor, wary of the brighter color. She's not done much to earn their suspicion, but the darker color didn't trust her anyway. Pointing fingers so quickly isn't exactly a friendly trait, now is it? 

"Shad, calm down. You're thinking so loud that I'm pretty sure that Navigation can hear you," Red says over the radio, using a private channel that they set up for them and Team Highlighter. Black frowns and bites their lip, legs bouncing as they turn their attention back to the screens in front of them. 

"Sorry, I just...don't like her very much. She's hard to get a good read on and it makes me a little anxious," they mutter as they scan over the screens. Team Highlighter, with the new addition of Lime, spots the camera LED flashing red, and all of them pause wave to it, causing the two on Security duty to smile. 

"Understandable, but you need to be careful. If you act too tense around the others they might feel you're Sus. I don't particularly want you being thrown into the airlock. I know Terrans can't breathe in space," Red says, leaning back in his chair as Pink leaves. Once she's gone, both take off their helmets. Red frowns when they see the bags under Black's eye and how unkempt their hair is. 

"How much sleep did you get last night?" They ask, causing the visible silver eye to flicker away from the screen momentarily. 

"None. I kept hearing the vent under my bed rattling, I couldn't tell if it was just the air moving or if someone was in it," they mutter. Red sighs and runs a hand through his messy hair. 

"Why didn't you tell me? I could have come and stayed with you." 

"Didn't want to wake you if you were sleeping. I know you haven't been sleeping much either recently..." 

"What if it had turned into a panic attack? What would you have done then?" 

"Suffer in silence, like I always do." 

Red sighs, shaking their head as Black cracks their thumbs several times. They really should try to break that nervous habit before it damages their thumbs, Terrans aren't as resilient as Imposters. 

"You don't have to suffer in silence, you can call on any of us," Staxx says from the other side of Security. The two Silvers had sat next to the vent and were attempting to draw using the pencils and notepads Black had found in storage. Shadow shrugs. 

"I'm used to it, and other crews would usually shove me away so I get worried sometimes that it can be seen as being too clingy," Shadow mutters, keeping an eye on the screens. They suddenly tense and look at the emergency light on the wall, the other three doing the same. The light starts flashing red and Shadow flies to their feet. 

"Kids, come on! Wyn, let's go and help, stick together!" Shadow says loudly, their voice stronger than usual to be heard over the alarm. The PSA system crackles to life. 

"Oxygen depletion detected," it says, and that prompts the two friends to shove on their helmets, securing them as the group of four sprints down the hall toward Admin. 

Skidding into the room, Shad sprints to the keypad, leaning over and punching in the code, fingers flying over the buttons. When the lights don't stop flashing, Shad steps back and whips their head to their left to stare at Wyn, eyes wide behind their visor. 

"We need to get to O2, I don't know why else this isn't stopping!" 

The four of them start to quickly make their way to O2, the two children staying behind Shadow while Shadow stays behind Red, trying to keep their head clear despite wanting to hide from the loud blaring of the alarms. 

\-- _Wyn! Did you sabotage?! I didn't, I thought we had an alliance with three Terrans!_ \-- Yellow exclaims, panicked. Red grimaces as they turn the corner into O2, watching as Shadow dashes forward once again to punch in the code, seemingly having it memorized despite only having looked at it once. The lights flash a few more times before shutting off, the alarm silencing.

\-- _No, I didn't. I wouldn't put them in danger like that. It could be something that happened on its own, but it doesn't seem like it..._ \-- 

\-- _Wyn, you can't possibly think that-_ \-- 

\-- _There's no other feasible explanation. A week ago I could have brushed off Orange's death as a Terran's doing, but now, with the sabotages that keep happening, I think that it's far more likely that there's another one of us on the ship. Another mature one._ \-- 

Yellow goes silent and Red sighs, looking at Black, noticing the barely visible tremors shaking their body. They're shaken, they dislike loud noises nearly as much as the Imps do. 

"Shad, how are you doing?" Red asks, trying to get the shorter to focus on something other than the sabotage that just happened. 

"Just peachy," they sign, reverting to silence. Red nods and holds out a hand for the smaller to take, having learned in the second week that if you touch Shad while they're panicking, you will be leaving the interaction with a bruise. Shadow grabs Wyn's hand and the group of four walks out of O2, back to Security. 

On the way there, they pass through Cafe to grab drinks to being back with them, remembering the rule that there's no solid food allowed near the electronics, and nothing without lids. Brown stops them halfway through, and Comet ducks behind Red, trying to hide from the crewmate. 

"Brown, what do you want?" Red asks in a faux polite voice. They knew how much the other unnerved Black and the children but had to play the part of being civil with him. 

"Why the hell aren't you in Security, and why the hell are the brats up?" He growls. Red holds back a low growl threatening to escape his throat as he clenches his teeth. 

"We were fixing O2 since there are only three other people out tonight, and the kids didn't want to be left alone," Red says slowly. Brown scoffs before shoving past the group, however, Shadow doesn't miss how he goes and tries to grab Comet. 

Shadow reacts differently than anyone in the group could have predicted at this pass on the younger. Still silent and not ready to speak when it's not their group of friends, the silver-eyed crewmate steps past Wyn and shoves Brown away from the kid, hard. 

The taller stumbles back, yelping in surprise as Shadow takes a defensive stance, standing between their three friends and the other crewmate. As Brown rights his footing, Wyn takes notice of Shadow's stance. Though they were shaking seconds ago, their form is now tense and still, balanced on the balls of their feet. To someone inexperienced, it might just seem to be a pose one would strike when annoyed, but to an ambush hunter like Wyn, he recognizes it for what it is. 

The pose is one of an experienced fighter, one that knows what to do if the need occurs. Brown is considered a threat, and Shadow was willing to protect the group. The male crewmate's posture screams aggitation as well. 

"The fuck you shoving me for?!" Brown shouts. Shadow watches him, eyes narrowed behind the visor. 

"You went to grab Comet. I don't exactly like that you did that," Shadow grits out, voice dangerously calm. Brown pauses. 

"Holy shit you can talk?" 

Shadow doesn't say anything else but nods, still glaring from behind their visor. Brown stands there for a moment before stalking off. Shadow stays tense until he disappears, then turns and buries their masked face in Wyn's chest. 

"Shad? Are you...you know he might try to pin you as Imposter now, right?" He asks the other, who just nods. He sighs. "Okay. All of you, back to Security. Let's go." 

As they walk back, Comet jogs up and grabs Shadow's hand. 

\-- _Thanks...I don't like him._ \-- 

_Me neither, kiddo. He's creepy._

\-- _Yeah._ \-- 

Once back in Security, Wyn sits down and pulls off his helmet before focusing on the screens. The children follow his lead and take off their helms before sitting back by the vent. Shadow tosses their helmet to the ground and clambers into Wyn's lap, burying their face in his chest one again. 

The Imposter doesn't seem to mind, only shifting a bit before running their fingers through the Terran's hair. Within the week of Shadow confronting Maldwyn about being an Imposter, the younger had shown time and time again that they didn't fear the older, mostly with small moments like this. 

Time passes rather slowly after the O2 sabotage. The kids end up falling asleep and so does Shadow. Wyn doesn't seem to mind, though. After watching the cams and watching everyone walk around for almost half an hour, an emergency meeting is called. Red sighs and uses the pager on their suit. 

"Cap? Hey, the kids and Black are asleep and won't wake up for another hour at least, can you hold this one in Security?" They ask, and it takes a moment before there's an answer. 

"Sure, we'll come to you guys." 

Five minutes later, the entire crew is crammed into Security, the Captain standing in front of the chair. Red stays still, staring at her. 

"Red, we've gotten some interesting accusations from Brown about the Oxygen Depletion earlier. He said that Black is an Imposter. Could you explain why he could think that?" She asks, voice stern. Red nods. 

"Of course. I'm aware we were supposed to stay in Security, but no one else was running to Admin to fix O2. We got up and ran there, the kids following us because they were scared. Lime, Cyan and Yellow were in the lower section of the ship, getting ready to finally go to bed when the alarms went off. Brown...I'm not sure what he was doing.

"We fixed the oxygen and walked through the cafetiria. We bumped into Brown, who cursed us out for a few minutes before he tried grabbing Comet. Black shoved him away from the kid and he got even more hostile. He walked off and we came back here. The kids and Black fell asleep about an hour later," Red explains, motioning to the two silvers asleep by the vent. Green nods slowly. 

"Can you wake up Black? I'd like to get their side of the story," she says. Red bites the inside of his cheek but nods. They gently shake Black for a few moments, and when that doesn't do anything, they sigh and tap the inside corner of their eye, making them flinch back and blink their eyes open slowly. 

"Sorry to wake you since you've only gotten two hours of sleep over the past two or three days, but Cap wants to hear your side of the story from our earlier encounter with Brown, can you tell her?" Red asks, and Black nods while sitting up, rubbing at their eye before starting to sign. 

"We were passing through the cafeteria after fixing the O2 and bumped into him. He cursed us out for a minute and then when he tried walking away, he tried grabbing Comet. Comet doesn't like being touched, especially by those he doesn't know, so I pushed Brown away from him. I admit that probably wasn't the right thing to do, but I was still running on adrenaline and just thought about protecting Com. I told Brown to back off, he curse at me and walked away, and then the four of us walked back here," they sign, still seeming disoriented. Green nods and sighs. 

"Thank you. If you've really had as much sleep as Red says you have, you are excused from your tasks for today to sleep." Green turns on Brown. "If I get another report of you trying to grab at a child, I will make sure that you're stuck on garbage duty until we land on POLUS, got it?" 

"Yes ma'am..." 

"Good. Meeting dismissed. Black, Red, you're relieved of your duties for now." 

The group of crewmates disperses while Black tries to wake themself up a bit more, Team Highlighter lagging in Security for a moment. Lime stands closer to the doors while Cyan and Yellow look at the other Crewmate and Imposter duo. 

"Hey, if you two are heading back to the rooms to sleep, we could watch over the kids for today," Cyan offers, and Red nods. 

"That...would be much appreciated if you could, actually. Just keep an eye on them and make sure they're safe." 

"Duh! What do you take us for? We'll wait in here until they wake up. Both of you, go. You need sleep," Yellow states. She crosses her arms. "Wyn, just look after Shad, okay? They still seem half asleep, don't let them trip on the way down." 

Red nods with a playful eye roll before turning to Shadow, who seems to be at least half present mentally. Hell, that's a generous estimate. 

"Shad, let's get you to bed, you look dead on your feet," Wyn mutters, and the shorter blinks before nodding and starting to trail after the Imp. Wyn can hear Lime snicker at how tired Shadow is but ignores her, carefully leading _his_ Crewmate- 

Woah, where the hell did that come from? _His_ Crewmate? I mean, sure, that's a nice thought, but they aren't even dating, so why did that pop into his head? 

Wyn shakes the thoughts from his head, ignoring the happy trill building in the back of his throat at the thought of Shadow being "his", and glances back at Shad. Yeah, they're gonna end up stumbling before they even make it to the elevator. 

"Hey, Shad, want me to carry you?" Wyn offers. It takes a moment for the younger to process the question but they nod. Smiling, Wyn scoops Shadow into their arms and starts walking toward the elevator again. Shadow nuzzles their face into the side of Wyn's neck, and the Imposter can feel the soft puffs of breath coming from their slightly open mouth. 

"...thanks," Shadow mutters as they step into the elevator, making Wyn smile as they press the button for the floor where the Crewmate's rooms are held. 

"You're welcome." 

The rest of the way to Wyn's room is silent. Once the two are inside, Wyn shakes Shad a bit to rouse them. 

"Hm?" 

"C'mon, at least get out of your suit before we fall asleep," Wyn says, placing the smaller on the ground. Shadow stands there for a moment before starting to take their uniform off, Wyn turning away to give the other privacy while taking off his own suit. 

Picking up on a scent of distress, Wyn almost turns around before remembering what it was likely about. 

"If you go in my left drawer, there should be some flannels and some of my shirts. They'll be baggy on you. Take one, I don't know much about Terrans in situations like yours, but I know that sleeping in your binder is a big no. I won't look while you're getting changed, go on," Wyn says. They hear the younger move before a drawer opens. There's the rustle of fabric, and then a small voice. 

"You can, um, y-you can turn now," Shadow mumbles. Wyn turns around and smiles at Shad before scooping them up again and laying them on the bed, keeping his body on the side of the materess away from the wall as a form of protection for the smaller. Shadow nuzzles into Wyn's chest, ready to drop into unconciousness when a thought hits them. 

"You too," the mutter. Wyn glances down at them, wondering what they're talking about. "I'm not sleeping in my binder, so...you shouldn't be sleeping while masking." 

Oh. 

"Shad, they're differnt, even if they are comparable. I need to sleep while masking because if a Crewmate that doesn't know that I'm an Imp walks in here and sees me, I'll be thrown out of the air lock. I'll take a break from masking later, okay? Go to sleep," Wyn explains softly. They wait for Shadow to respond before realizing that the Terran had already fallen asleep. Chuckling, the Imposter lays their head on the pillow and closes their eyes, joining the other in the land of sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! There! I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Tell me what you thing, ask me questions, interact! I like interacting back with you guys, and your comments make me smile! (If I don't interact back, forgive me, because it typically means that I have no clue on how to respond other then "Thanks for commenting alkfnowrbfwou-") 
> 
> Anyway, the reason I disappeared for a bit. The ceiling in the kitchen and bathroom of my mom's house collapsed. My mom has been hoarding more since my brothers and I were taken from her (there are beer boxes everywhere, almost up to the doorknob of my old room). She neglected our cats - one is now living with us and she says the other is fine but she showed no proof so I have my doubts. The house is likely going to be condemned. I can't get things that I want, things that have sentimental value to me. Yeah... Life just got kinda shitty and crazy like 2 days after I posted the previous chapter, and I needed a small break to get my mental health in check, but I'm back, and my way to cope with trauma is to write, so expect me to be getting a few more out in the next few weeks! 
> 
> Well, that's all. Ciao!

**Author's Note:**

> "Wyn" is pronounced like "Win", it's a nickname and yes I know it translates to wine. Please interact! What did you think of the story? (I'll be coming back and editing this once a few more chapters are out)


End file.
